


Love in C Minor

by Kaya4114



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Duets, Fluff, M/M, Multi chapter but wont be that long, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Songfic, kind of, rating subject to change possibly, street-performer!Shane
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-14 23:22:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18486526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaya4114/pseuds/Kaya4114
Summary: "So what is it you do for a living, anyway?"  Shane asked."I do video editing.  Sometimes I get pulled into other people's videos as well, and I am working on producing my own show soon.  That's what the meeting with Keith is about today.""I see," Shane said, his tone intrigued.  Then Ryan asked him the same, "What about you?  Is there a venue I could buy tickets for, so as to watch you play sometime?  Surely the street performer thing is just a side gig?"Shane looked at him with a tired smile, "I move around city to city and live off my work.  It's not easy, but... No one said chasing your dreams would be.  It's as the saying goes, 'Starving artist', right?"





	Love in C Minor

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. This fic was born from a conversation I had about a month ago on a discord server. Unbeta'd. Disclaimer: I don't claim to know Ryan or Shane's actual music tastes, so mine may bleed into this a bit for the sake of the story. (I love me some acoustic guitar) Links to the songs can be found throughout the fic. I recommend listening to them. Especially Wonderwall and TTFAF covers.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The swish of cars passing, the occasional bird chirping and the bustle of many footsteps upon pavement was the background music to the many early mornings Ryan Bergara spent on his way to the little coffee shop he would so often idle at before work.  It was a practiced routine; Something the man had become so very familiar with, as he dodged the various pedestrians in pursuit of his precious Caramel Macchiato.  Being a Buzzfeed video producer often meant long after hours, so the morning coffee was part of a ritual that Ryan was pretty sure without, he would completely pass out before noon.  As such, it had been a habit he engaged in faithfully every weekday for the past two years straight.  
  
So it came as a surprise to find a different sound one morning as he approached the corner, roughly one block away from his usual Starbucks.  The first thing he heard was the smooth, clean sound of a well tuned acoustic guitar playing something familiar, but yet also hard to place.   As Ryan approached closer, he began to hear a voice, deep and rugged.  It was smooth like butter and perfectly complimented the guitar as it played.  He continued to listen, the tune now nagging at him as the raven-haired man tried to identify it.  
  
" _It might seem an afterthought... Yes it hurts to know you're bought...  It's your decision... It's your decision... You feed the fire that burned us all... When you lied... To feel the pain that spurs you on...  Black inside, It's your decision."_  
  
The voice grew louder as he approached, and Ryan began to recognize[ this song ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D37POA11KY&t=2m39s)from the year he graduated high school.  Curious, he ambled closer still, wanting to see the new musician perform.  A few more paces further, the image of chocolate brown hair peaked above most of the heads on the sidewalk, grabbing his attention.  
  
He was striking;  Long limbs clad in chinos and flannel, kind of gangly but in a symmetrically pleasing way. He was tall (very tall!) standing maybe a good six inches above Ryan and his shirt was rolled to his elbows and undone, with a light grey band shirt underneath.  
  
Ryan watched as he continued the song, his eyes closed, in the zone.  The man's hands strummed the strings of his wooden acoustic guitar with skill, the wood dark with age, and the black pickguard worn with scuffs from use as a make-shift drum.  His voice rang out clear, the final bridge of the song, and Ryan was pulled back to the past; Memories of late high school nights spent in his best friends garage.  
  
" _No one plans to take the path that brings you lower... And here you stand before us all and say it's over...  It's over..."_  
  
Unable to help himself, Ryan opened his mouth to take on the harmonies as the song finished with a final, " ** _It's over..._** "  
  
As the final note tapered off, the tall man opened his dark honey eyes to meet Ryan's onyx black ones, a small and slightly bewildered smile stretching across the face of the musician.  
  
There was a pause of silence as the two held eye contact before Ryan breathed a simple, "You're good," unable to think of anything else to say.  The lanky man's smile stretched impossibly larger, his eyes crinkling at the sides.  
  
"Why thank you.  I've always been a bit of a sucker for angsty grunge music.  What can I say? I grew up in the '90s!"  The man shrugged with a chuckle before adding, "Love the touch you put on the end there with me.  You sing?"  
  
Ryan shook his head with a smile, "Naw, not unless you count morning showers.  I haven't since high school."  
  
This earned him a skeptical look from the man, who raised his eyebrow, the smile still present, "Well you could've fooled me.  Your tone is really good from what little I could tell, and you were able to pick out the correct harmonies of the last three notes without any trouble."  
  
Ryan shrugged a laugh, turning his head down in modesty, "I just know the song really well.  I mean.. I was in a casual garage band in high school and our lead guitarist was a really big AiC fan growing up.  _Your Decision_ came out the year I graduated, so we had it playing on loop trying to learn it.  Although once high school was done, most of the band members ended up at different colleges so the band kind of broke up.  I haven't really sung or played since."  
  
The man regarded Ryan with amusement, nodding, "You play as well? Impressive."  
  
Looking back up at him, Ryan continued, "Sorry, I didn't mean to like, give you my life story or anything.  But yeah, you're.. You're really good, dude."  
  
Suddenly, the taller man laughed, a bright happy sound.  
  
"I bet you're not so bad, yourself.  I'd let you sing backup for me whenever you like," Readjusting the guitar's neck strap, the chocolate haired man then asked, "Did you have any requests?"  
  
Ryan gave an exaggerated hmm, looking away towards the sky, a grin spread wide on his lips.    
  
"How about Wonderwall?" He replied, eyes turning back to the tall guitarist, amused.  
  
As a few pedestrians passed by, the taller man laughed once more, the sound stifling into more of a wheeze.  Ryan had been joking, but the man simply winked at him and began to strum the opening chords of the iconic song, "I wasn't aware we were singing meme's now.. Anyway, here's Wonderwall."  
  
Ryan began to laugh as well, the two of them lightly chuckling as the first verse came.   As the musician began to sing, Ryan couldn't help the grin that continued to tug the corner of his lips.  
  
" _Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you.  By now you should've somehow realized what you gotta do. I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do, about you now._ "  
  
As the guitar strummed the tune of the song, the tall guitarist watched his shorter spectator, seemingly amused by the request.  Ryan began to tap on his leg to the beat as the next part started.     
  
_"Backbeat, the word was on the street that the fire in your heart is out.  I'm sure you've heard it all before but you never really had a doubt.  I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now."_  
  
As bridge began, the musician's eyes closed, starting to get really into the song.  Ryan couldn't help but enjoy the way his voice contrasted against the clean strums of the guitar, and he couldn't help but begin to sing along under his breath.  
  
" _And all the roads we have to walk are winding. And all the lights that lead us there are blinding. There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don't know how.._."  
  
As the chorus came, Ryan was having too much fun.  Deciding to improvise tones, he sang out-- louder this time, the two of them playing off one another's voices beautifully.   A giant grin plastered it's self upon the musician's face, echoing Ryan's own as they sang[ together in perfect harmony](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYAgqJArw-4&t=1m47s),  
  
" ** _Because maybe... You're gonna be the one that saves me.  And after all... You're my wonderwall_**."  
  
As the song continued to play out, Ryan and the street performer began to garner a bit of attention without either of them realizing it.  One by one there seemed to be a growing crowd as the two harmonized off each other, their eyes either closed or pinned on one another, too absorbed in their music.  Eventually, it came to a close, the last couple strums ending the song.  As the final notes of the guitar finished up, at least twelve people began to clap while others began to throw a few bills and coins into the tall man's guitar case.  
  
"Wow,"  The musician exclaimed, kind of shocked, "I normally don't get that much attention."  
  
Ryan turned as soon as he heard the crowd behind him, amusement coating the grin from earlier.  Turning back to the lanky chocolate haired man, he simply said, "I told you.  You're good, dude."  
  
The man then reached into the guitar case, handing Ryan one of the fives that the spectators had donated, "..and so are you.  Here, you earned this at the very least."  
  
The raven-haired man stared at the five being presented to him, before looking the tall man in the eyes shaking his head, "It's ok, dude.  Keep it.  You're the one making the music out here, not me.  I'm just glad I got to have some fun before---"  As Ryan glanced at his phone to check the time mid-sentence, a small panic struck him, "--Work, SHIT! I should really get going."  
  
The taller man nodded, the smile from earlier still lingering, "Alright then.  It was fun singing with you too, Mr...um..?"  
  
"Bergara.  Ryan Bergara,"  He replied, putting his phone back into his pocket and flashing the man an apologetic smile.  The taller man's grin was warm as he replied,  "I'm Shane Madej."  
  
Ryan nodded, "Well, Shane, I had a lot of fun, but I gotta go.  Thanks for the entertainment."  
  
"The pleasure was mine," Shane told him, waving him off, "Go on now.  I'd hate for you to be late."  
  
Ryan turned to wave back only momentarily as he took off in a jog towards work.  For the first time in two years, he would be skipping his traditional morning coffee.  Somehow, today Ryan didn't think he would be needing it.  
  
***  
  
The next morning on his way to work, the tones of [Fleetwood Mac](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E7rUemfC-A) caressed the air around the corner near Starbucks once more, and with them, a warm smile pulled across Ryan's lips.  
  
The tune was a happy little sounding number, contrasted to the sad lyrics of the song about a breakup.  Shane's voice carried across the boulevard, bright like the sun, " _Been down one time... Been down two times.... I'm never going back again!_ "  
  
The key of the song shifted slightly just as Ryan approached to watch. As Shane opened his eyes, he noticed Ryan making eye contact with him, and a smile of his own stretched across his lips.  
  
As the next set of lyrics came, Shane changed them slightly to address Ryan, " _You don't know what it means to win.._ You came back to _see me again_.."  
  
The raven-haired man nodded with a chuckle, noticing what Shane did there.  The lanky musician grinned, singing the last bit of the song once more,  " _Been down one time...  Been down two times...  Mmmmhmmm, I'm never going back again."_  
  
As the last few notes tapered off, Shane continued grinning at him, pleased that they ran into one another once more.  
  
"You're back," He said, putting his guitar down for a moment to grab some water. He took a long swig as Ryan nodded again before replying, "Yeah.  I usually head this way before work most mornings.  The siren on the Starbucks cup calls my name."  
  
Putting his water bottle back down, and throwing the guitar strap back over his shoulder again, Shane gave his short new friend a wink, "Aww, and here I was thinking it was _my_ siren's voice that brought your cute face back to me."  
  
Ryan chuckled, a small blush tinting his cheeks.  Apparently, Shane was just as flirty as he was talented.  Throwing the man a smirk, his laughter dying down, Ryan replied, "Sorry to disappoint you, big guy.  Though I'll admit the atmosphere on the way there is certainly more pleasant with your music filling the air."  
  
Shane echoed Ryan's smile, the tips of his ears turning pink at the sudden nickname, "Well I'm happy to provide.  Did you have any songs in mind that you wanted to accompany you on the way to your precious Starbucks today?"  
  
As the people on the street continued to pass by the two of them, Ryan thought briefly about what he could ask Shane to play this time.  Wonderwall was a meme, but it turned out to be quite fun.  Throwing the man a challenging smirk, Ryan once again gave him a joke request, "Hmm.. If you're really a siren, you'd be able to play me Through the Fire and Flames."  
  
Suddenly, there was a glint in Shane's eyes.  A note of challenge that made him laugh as he looked down at Ryan with amusement, "What is it with you and meme songs?  I know that this one, like Wonderwall, is probably a joke.  Well, buckle up buddy 'cuz this siren is about to blow your socks off!"  
  
And with that, Shane reached for his guitar pick and began to start playing what appeared to be[ the opening riffs ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR8TtlZIAZM)of said request. He took a few liberties with the chords, considering the guitar was acoustic, but all in all, the song was not a bad rendition.  By the end of the tune, Ryan was singing along, tapping his hand on his side in time and clapped as the song came to its end.  
  
"Wow dude!  I didn't even know you knew how to play that song, let alone learned an acoustic version for it!  Colour me impressed!"  
  
Shane wheezed in delighted amusement at Ryan's reaction, "Well, let's just say I was really bored one day and my guitar was just sitting there."  
  
As the two of them chuckled, Ryan turned to grab his wallet, attempting to throw some money into Shane's case.  The taller man waved his hand dismissively, "Oh, you don't have to do that.  It was payment enough to see the look on your face."  
  
"Naw man, you deserve it," Ryan said, continuing to route through his change pocket.   Shane shook his head, realizing that Ryan Bergara wasn't one to take no for an answer.  With a defeated smile, he simply replied, "Fine. If you really insist, then buy me one of your precious coffee's."  
   
Looking up at him with a pause, Ryan answered, "Deal." and Shane then began to pack up his things.  
  
  
  
  
  
As the two made their way to the coffee shop, Shane glanced at his short companion with a nervous smile, "I hope you won't be late today."  
  
Ryan looked over at him as a pedestrian passed by them on their right, "If I am, I'm sure it will be fine.  I have a little bit of editing to do today, and a meeting with Keith but otherwise most of my day is free. If I am a little late, it won't be that big a deal."  
  
Shane hummed at that before asking, "So what is it you do for a living, anyway?"    
  
Ryan threw him one of his bright-as-the-sun smiles, "I do video editing.  Sometimes I get pulled into other people's videos as well, and I am working on producing my own show soon.  That's what the meeting with Keith is about today."  
  
"I see," Shane said, his tone intrigued.  Then Ryan asked him the same, "What about you?  Is there a venue I could buy tickets for, so as to watch you play sometime?  Surely the street performer thing is just a side gig?"  
  
The taller man's expression fell a little, his cheeks heating up in what appeared to be embarrassment, "Well actually.. Yeah, it is.  I sometimes get a venue gig every now and again, but for the most part, I move around city to city and live off my work.  It's not easy, but... No one said chasing your dreams would be."  
  
Ryan frowned as three more people passed by them.  At that moment, Starbucks came within view. Turning his attention forward, Ryan opened the door for his new friend before following him in.  
  
"That's a real shame, dude.  You're like.. incredibly talented.  It seems crazy that no one has discovered you yet."  
  
Shane shrugged, "It is what it is.  I'm just happy that my music can make someone's day. For what it's worth, you certainly made my day."  
  
Once more a blush crept up Ryan's cheeks as he approached the counter, wallet in hand.  Shaking it off he turned to Shane and asked, "What do you drink?"  
  
"Whatever you're having.  You're the one buying."  
  
He then turned back to the barista with a smile, "Two Caramel Macchiatos, please."  
  
The lady at the counter grinned, "Can I have your names?"  
  
"Ryan and Shane."  
  
And with that, he wandered over to the other side to wait for their drinks, Shane following behind him.  
  
"Thanks again for this," Shane said with a shy smile.  Ryan looked over at him, returning it with his own, "It's seriously no problem dude.  I enjoyed watching you play.  I'm kinda sad I don't have more time to chill and hang out.  You said you travel around a lot, city to city... How long are you staying here?"  
  
Shane shrugged, "Depends on how much I can make.  Yesterday had a pretty good yield, though I suspect that was more thanks to you than anything.  If people get too used to me being around, I make less.  I move on."  
  
Ryan frowned but shrugged, "That makes sense.  It just doesn't seem fair, like I said.  You have a lot of talent.  You deserve recognition for your work."  
  
Shane leveled a smile at Ryan as their drinks arrived on the countertop, "It's alright, man.  It's like the saying goes, 'Starving artist' right?  I'll be fine."  He then grabbed his drink, raising it in a toast towards 'Ryenne', "Still, I'm glad I got to meet you."  
  
Ryan grabbed his drink, frowning at the name on the side, before looking up at 'Shayne', "Me too, big guy."  and there was a pause of silence as they both sipped their drinks.  
  
Eventually, it was time for Ryan to head off to work.  Pulling out his phone, he turned to Shane, "Hey.. do you think I could get your number?  I'd hate for this to be the last time I get to listen to you play."     
  
Shane smiled at him with mirth, holding out his hand for the phone.   Ryan handed it to him, and then man proceeded to type in his information.  He then sent himself a text so that he had Ryan's number as well.     
  
He then handed him back his phone, a smirk plastered on his face.   Ryan looked down to see Shane's contact ID read "Siren". With a chuckle, he turned to the door to leave.    
  
Shane waved him off with a grin, "Thanks again for stopping by.  Don't let your boss get you in shit because of me, ok?"  
  
"I wont," Ryan called back, waving to him before running off.  
  
As he made his way to the office, the thought kept echoing about in Ryan's head.   Shane deserved more exposure.  It wasn't fair that he had to stand on a street, hoping for pennies.  
  
As he reached his desk, an idea came to mind.  Perhaps there was a way he could help him with that.  Ryan pulled out his phone, sending a text.  
  
**To: Siren**  
**_I had an idea... What would you say about being in a video..._**  
  
  
***


End file.
